The Brazilian protests began in the first week of June following the transportation-fare hike by the authorities and were mostly attended by students and young people. But with the passage of time, more and more people joined in and the Free Fare Movement turned into a fully fledged anti-government movement.

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The Brazilian protests began in the first week of June following the transportation-fare hike by the authorities and were mostly attended by students and young people. But with the passage of time, more and more people joined in and the Free Fare Movement turned into a fully fledged anti-government movement.

The situation in Brazil has been more or less the same as in Turkey where a peaceful sit-in to save a historical park grew into violent demonstrations against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s regime. However, in Brazil’s case, we can give Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad some credit for at least taking back its stance on fares in an attempt to halt the unrest.

Erdogan needs to learn a thing or two from Haddad.

Although the Brazilian government, after almost ten days of rioting and protesting, has taken back its decision to decrease the fares, the people are still out there. They are saying that the fight isn’t just about increased transportation costs; it is way more than just that. It’s against a corrupt government who is much more interested in spending money on football stadiums rather than focusing on the common man’s needs and wants.

The Brazilians want a better infrastructure and good governance. They do not want extravagant sports events while they struggle for the most basic necessities. One more reason behind the persistence can be the use of police to stop the protesters. The people are angry because of the way they were treated. They want to change that as well.

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Pictures and footage of police brutality in Brazil are widespread on the internet. But a video which has recently emerged is quite different from the previous ones because in that video we can see some police officers standing side by side the demonstrators and chanting out slogans with them! It’s just amazing and for the Brazilian people, it is a sign of hope and change. The Turkish riot police can learn a thing or two here as well. You can watch it in the video below: